1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a dry substrate for drying hands after scrubbing or drying skin after patient pre-operation prepping without irritating or drying the skin. The dry substrate comprises a towel or a wipe coated with an antimicrobial formulation.
2. Description of Related Art
Effective antiseptic or disinfectant dry wipes can be formed by combining an antimicrobial formulation with a suitable carrier. Thus, antiseptic compounds can be formulated rather easily, however, many such dry wipes are not suitable for use in contact with human skin due to the abrasive nature of the surfactant-containing composition.
Where the dry wipe is intended for use as for drying during surgical scrub procedures, mildness is an important consideration. Mildness indicates the dry wipe does not cause excessive irritation of the skin, such as erythema.
Surgical scrub procedures and techniques are highly conducive to the development of erythema and other irritations. All personnel involved in surgical procedures use a surgical scrub in preparation for surgery. Frequently, the same individual will scrub three to five times on a single day. A typical surgical scrub involves placing a cleansing composition on the hand. Commonly, a brush or sponge is used and the arms from the elbows to the fingertips are scrubbed thoroughly for as long as ten minutes. Thus, the epidermal layers of the skin are subject to significant rubbing and aggravation. After the arms and hands have been scrubbed, they are rinsed, dried and placed into rubber gloves. Since the rinse is often not complete and residual surfactant and/or antimicrobial compounds from the cleansing composition are left on the skin, further irritation may be experienced when they are dried with a towel or wipe. This in turn can create topical skin irritations.
The likelihood of irritation or erythema increases with the frequency one performs the surgical scrub procedure. Therefore, it is not only important that the surgical scrub composition be very mild, but that the dry wipe be mild as well.
Therefore, there exists a need for a dry wipe which provides substantially maximized efficacy and does not promote dryness or irritation to the skin.